6:09 PM,
Apr. 7, 2013

A sign announcing a 'community center' development in Spring Valley on Tuesday, seen near the same plaza that houses Spring Valley Village Hall.

Written by

Bruce M. Levine

The recent bribery scandal that erupted in the Village of Spring Valley centers on a proposed development of a piece of property adjacent to Spring Valley Village Hall for a "community center/catering hall." This is a far cry for from the vision behind the original purchase of the property. Village leaders intended to give Spring Valley's youth a year-round indoor recreation facility.

In the first years of former Mayor George Darden's tenure, the needs of village young people were very much on our minds. We created a gangs task force, which met with groups of teenagers put together by Spring ...